HerbWildAnnualMedicinal

Melilotus officinalis (L.) Lam.

Peeli Sinji

No photograph on file for this species yet. Contributors can submit one.

Description

Melilotus officinalis is an annual or biennial herb, usually 30–150 cm tall, with erect branched stems. Leaves are trifoliolate, alternate, and composed of three obovate leaflets with toothed margins. Flowers are small, bisexual, yellow, fragrant, and arranged in elongated axillary racemes. The papilionaceous flowers contain abundant nectar and attract insects. Fruits are small, oval, one-seeded pods, usually wrinkled and brown at maturity.

Diagnostic Characters

Vegetative

Tall sweet clover. Trifoliate leaves.

Floral

Yellow fragrant flowers.

Fruit & Seed

Small wrinkled pods.

Distribution

Native range: Native to Eurasia.

In Pakistan: Occurs in Pakistan, India, Europe, North America.

Phenology

Flowering

Fruiting

Flowering: May–September Fruiting: Summer–autumn

Ethnobotany & Uses

Agricultural Importance

Used as Fodder, Green manure, Bee forage.

Medicinal Importance

Contains Coumarins, Flavonoids. Traditional applications Anti-inflammatory uses, Circulatory support.

Ecological Importance

Nitrogen fixation. Pollinator resource.

UniFlora AI Assistant

Ask about Peeli Sinji

Hello! I'm UniFlora AI. Ask me anything about Peeli Sinji (*Melilotus officinalis*) — identification tips, flowering season, uses, campus locations, or taxonomy.

Where it grows on campus

This species is on the campus floristic list but was not pinned during the GPS mapping survey, so it has no map records yet.

Taxonomic Notes

Distinguished from M. albus by Yellow flowers instead of white, Similar sweet clover habit, UniFlora Field Recognition Tip 🌿. Look for 🌱 Tall herb, 🍃 Three toothed leaflets, 🌼 Yellow fragrant flowers.